Old firehose for chafe protection

[Davidhoy]

Thinking about getting some old firehose for chafe protection, particularly during tropical storms and hurricanes. What are the pros and cons of using old firehose? And what size hose for 3/4”-1” nylon lines?

[AndyEss]

Old firehose isn't a pristine off-white. The hose I carry is near black in places and I have never felt any need to wash it.
You will keep marine chandleries from making an obscene profit if you use it, so beware.

[Cthoops]

We’ve been using fire hose since before we started cruising full-time. The pros are that it’s free, it works great, and you can cut it to the size you need. I can’t think of any cons but I’m sure someone will chime in if there are.

Standard fire hose is large. It will fit your line size without an issue.

[duncan_ellison]

Makes great and cheap chafe protection if you can find some.

I cut suitable lengths, then split it lengthways, then sewed velcro along both edges so that it can be slipped on ropes already fast at both ends.

Use it all the time on mooring balls to stop my bow tackle chafing on the mooring strop. Never worn though a piece yet, it's pretty tough stuff.

Duncan

[skipgundlach]

We use it for lots of stuff including our over-the-roller snubber line.

I has worn through the fabric in many places and I move it around a bit so that the rubber itself isn't compromised.

Ours is 2" I think, for our 1" megabraid.

[fjwiley1]

Originally Posted by skipgundlach

We use it for lots of stuff including our over-the-roller snubber line.

I has worn through the fabric in many places and I move it around a bit so that the rubber itself isn't compromised.

Ours is 2" I think, for our 1" megabraid.

l


Can’t beat the fire hose for anti-chafe. If your local Fire Dept. doesn’t have any expired
Hose available , EBay has some new, some used at good prices too. Haven’t checked Amazon.

[Sailshabby]

As for size, as long as your line fits through you’re good to go. I think ours is 1.5”, but only because that’s what we were given.

[CaptRory]

As old retired, obsolete fire fighter, I have a love hate relationship with this old retired obsolete fire hose. I have loaded, deployed, stretched, carried, rolled, washed and hung thousands of miles of it. What we're talking about is called CRL in fire fighter talk, that's short for Cotton/Rubber Lined. There is also linen covered rubber out there, still in use in private buildings in the stand pipe cabinets, but you don't want that. I comes in several sizes, what you want for dock lines is going to be 1.5 inches, or in the vernacular, "inch and a half attack line". You might find some 1.75in but by the time we started using it, the change to synthetics was well under way. Next up is 2.5 and 3 inch supply line, these are good for lining your dock accordion fastened. The only down side is the the cotton jacket can hold sand and grit with can scratch up your gell coat and bright work if you don't pay attention. It will do an excellent job (nothing better) but keep it clean of dirt, sand and salt crystals with soapy water and a brush.

[Oohla]

check out used firehose at:
https://www.firehosesupply.com/colle...sed-fire-hoses

[steamgoat]

If you are anyway near a ski area, they use it for snowmaking hose and often throw away lengths that have been run over by machines etc

[sailorbobdeb]

We also use the 8" supply line hose to cover our shore power cables in the marina. Slit it down the center to make 2 - 4" wide covers. Take one side and slide 2 - 30amp cables inside. Small holes spaced about every foot allow us to put a cable tie to keep the hose on the cable. Lasts a lot longer than the covers we used to buy because it is a thick rubber/plastic and it is also kind of slick so it doesn't hold grit and sand as much as textured fabric. If we're taking the cables with us to go on an extended cruise, we clip off the cable ties, remove the shore power cables, and leave the heavy hose cover in the dock box.

Love our used fire hose chafe protection and cable covers!

[Maka]

Wonderful stuff. Been using it for years. Keep a roll (2"Dia. X 8' long ? ) of it on the boat as spare. Lays flat when rolled up. Free ( used ) from my local Fire Dept. years ago.

[GafferMate]

After two years of pulling the masts, they're almost ready to be re-stepped--just as soon as I finish 'leathering' the standing rigging soft eyes with fire hose. Not as nice to work as leather, but I couldn't get a decent hide and, besides, by painting with a rubberized urethane they're going to be a LOT easier to maintain than the leather. So far, they look great....there's an outside, loose covering to the canvas and rubber hose inside, which came off when I cut it to size for serving (punching about a million holes with an awl was not fun) but I think it's going to be just fine for a long time.



In the meantime, however, I still have leather on the two boom gallows and want to take a moment to praise the help I've gotten from Huburd's Shoe Grease Company. (https://www.huberds.com). I'd used a hide bought locally, in Dumaguete, P.I., and the quality deteriorated almost immediately. Nothing worked to restore it, but a recommendation from Off Center Harbor (another quality website: https://www.offcenterharbor.com/tour/) put me onto David Larson at Huburds...a wholesaler, not retail. I'd asked for advice as to which product to buy on Amazon--they all seemed possible, so he kindly, generously, has sent samples to try before buying online. His only request was that I submit a recommendation to Amazon if I'm pleased. He seemed quite confident, as am I. I'll have the products soon so anyone interested can PM me.

[dadster3]

I'm new here and this is my first post. I just acquired about 50-60 ft of 1.5" fire hose. I simply contacted my local fire dept. and ask if they had any. They could not have been nicer or more helpful. I thought asking for 20' was asking a lot, but they simply gave me a rolled section. You don't have to buy this stuff. Ask and ye shall receive.


Fredericksburg, VA

[lancelot9898]

I've removed the inner rubber layer of firehose thinking that the rubber will insulate the line that it's suppose to protect from the benefits of cooling from the rain associated with heavy weather. Not sure if this heat reduction is that significant in reducing chaff since that rubber is a lot smoother that the outer fabric.